People think they can pray things away instead of taking appropriate action. Its away avoiding responsibility.

sorry . sounds like your mum doesn't have any good coping mechanisms. is your friend still alive? if so, I'm glad for you

Just like you really don't believe, some people really do believe. She probably thought she was helping. My sister-in-law is a nonbeliever and her mother was a devout Catholic. She was really upset with her mother because of her mother's concern that she and a couple of her siblings did not attend mass anymore. I explained to her that her mother's fear was based on her belief that in the afterlife she would never see her children again. It was a real fear. Rational or not it was real for her. My sister-in-law understood and her resentment went away.

Some Christians have the "by any means necessary" mentality. They will use any and everything to win souls for Christ! They are doing "the Lords work!"

Religious folk spend too much time with fellow cult members confirming absurdities.

They are driven by fear, thinking you will burn in hell. Sad to claim a god who would burn and torture people for eternity "loves" everyone.

What did that even have to do with ... oh, never mind.

Preachers are teaching that atheists really do believe in god, and are just lying about it. Amazingly some people will believe anything if it comes from a man behind a pulpit.

I think the answer to this is that they are not thinking they are just putting out that which was dinned into them; not everyone is able to change a lifetimes habits - try to find another emotion when this happens like imagining oyu are in a warm bath or coccon and nothing can get to you because you are looking after yourself

I think it's just plain bad taste to try to convert people when they're at their most vulnerable and possibly weakest mentally (less rational, more emotion).

Wow, how the hell would that benefit your friend? The deluded are bent on dragging everyone they know or meet into their delusions.

Because they feel like it is a panacea. Cures what ails ya, no matter what. And if it fails, it is your own fault.